Condenser



B. J. POWELL July 21, 1953 CONDENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 2, 1950 A HVEHLDF fzze JPOwejgZ Patented July 21, 1953 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE Y ooNDENsEn e Burnet J. weu, North chicago, 111., assigner' to l -Houdaille-Hershey Corporation, North Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Michigan l Application February v2, 195o, seriarNo. 142,021A

The present invention relates to va heat-exchanger and'the method of making the' same. More particularly, the presentinvention relates to a heat exchanger of the tube and plate type providing a maximum heat dissipating surface area with minimum overall height.

VThe conventional tube and plate type heat exchangers'of the prior art typically include a generally planar backing plate provided with end mounting flanges and carrying Jo n one surface thereof a sinuous tube securedfto the backing plate by suitable means, as by brazing or welding.

It is, kthereforepan important object of the present invention toprovide an improved heat Y exchanger, or condenser providing greater heat dissipating effect with minimum height.

IAnother important object of the present invention is to provide "la method of making a heat exchanger by the securing of a sinuous tube to a A plane backing plate and the subsequent deforma- In the case of refrigerator condensers, in order vto provide a sufficient area for the dissipation of heat from the refrigerant fluid, a more or less definite overall plate dimension is required.

In some applications to refrigerators the conventional tube and plate type condenser does not give adequate cooling effect in the lengths or 'heights of condenser lpermitted by the design of e the refrigerator.

The present invention now provides a novel `form ofv heat exchanger of the plate and tube type in which a greater heat dissipating effect is provided with minimum height ofcondenser. In addition, the heat exchanger is secured to a sup- V'tion of the backing plate to form inwardly folded flanges. e Y l It is another important object of the present inventionV to provide :an improved condenser of the tube and plate type including a plate carrye ing a sinuous tube attached thereto and having inturned opposed Wing portions cooperating with an intermediate portion of the plate and with a Vertical supporting surface to define air stack passages for the more effective dissipation of heat porting surface, as to a domestic refrigerator, by means of the platevitself rather than through thevmedium of additional flanges, such as here- Y linbefore provided.

The condenser of the present invention more particularly includes a backinglplate having a sinuous tube secured thereto by Ia suitablemeans, preferably by swaging or otherwisel deforming the plate to greater than Ysemi-peripheral contact with the tube. Opposing ends of the plates are inturned to lie back of lan intermediate portion 'of Vthe plate and the inturned plate portions are apertured to receive means forV attachment to la vsupporting vertical surface. When the condenser is so attached to the back of a'refrigerator cabinet, the inturned flanges are in line contact With the supporting surface, while the terminal ends of the flanges Aare directed away from the plane of the supporting surface in spaced relation thereto to form what might be termed a double stack air passage. All'of the heat dissipating surfaces of the exchanger are fully exposed to convection air currents.

The method of .forming the present invention comprises generally the securingV of a sinuous tube toa plane backing plate andthe deformation of -the plate and the tube portions carried thereby to form inturned Oppsng Bauges, or wing p0r- ,tiona present invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accom- Ipanying drawings.

This invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described. Y

On the drawings: l

Figure 1 is a front elevational View of a heat Vexchanger of the present invention;

Figure 2 is fa sectional view taken along the plane II-II of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is an elevational View of the lheat exchanger of the present invention prior to the formation of the terminal flanges thereon; and Figure 4' is a sectional view taken along the plane IV-IV of Fig. 2.

As shown on the drawings: In Fig. l, reference numeral I0 refers generally to a heat exchanger of the present invention including a backing plate l I formed of heat conducting sheet material, such as hot rolled or cold rolled steel, and a heat exchange conduit or tube I2 formed of copper or other heat conducting material.

As best shown in Fig.. 3, the tube's of sinuous or serpentine configuration including spaced,y

generally parallel straight tube portionsv i3 secured to the plate and arcuate intermediate portions I4 joining the straight portions I3 and extending beyond the coni-lues of the backing plate I I. As particularly shown in Fig. 4, the straight tube portions I3 are confined to the plate by swaging or distortion of the plate to overlie a median diameter of the tube.

Thus, the tube straight portions I3 are bottomed against the arcuate bottom I4 of a groove I5 formed in the plate, those portions of the plate immediately contiguous to the groove I5 being deformed, as by swaging, as at IS, to overlie the tube. In the swaging step, supplementary grooves I'I are formed in the-plate II alongside and immediately adjacent the main groove I5 receiving the tube. The particular method of swaging the plate II abou-tv thetube portions I3 is more particularly described and claimed in the pending application of Ray A. Sandberg, Serial No. 80,248, filed March 8, 1949, and assigned to the assignee of the instant application.

It will be seen from Fig. 3 that a plurality of parallel, spaced grooves I5 are formed in the plateV Il to traverse the entire. width of the plate, the spacing of the grooves I5 corresponding to the spacing of the straight portionsA I3 of the tube I2 so that the plate receives'the tube inits sinuous configuration.

The plate is also provided; with transversely and longitudinally aligned circular apertures I8 and adjacent, similarly aligned keyhole apertures i9 dened by a lower circular aperture 2i! and an upper apertureZI communicating with the aperture 20.

The plate I! as originally formed is generally planar, and the tube I2 is secured to the plate while it is in this configuration. Following the securing of the tube to the plate, opposite end Y portions of the plate are bent about relatively short radii of approximately equal length to define opposed inturned flange portions 22 and adjoining loop portions 23. The opposed flanges 22 are inturned toward the plane portion of the plate II, so that the flanges 22 are inclined to the plane of the plate I i. When the plate is so deformed into its nal form, each of the aligned apertures I8 is transversely aligned with one of the keyhole' apertures I9, and the arcuate tube portions Iii lie between opposed spaced margins 22a' of the inturned flange portions 22. terminal inlet and outlet portions 2li of the tube I2 likes/vise lie between the flanges 22 with one of the portions 2da extending transversely ofthe plate II.

The structure thus provided may be mounted on a supporting surface, such as the surface 25, by means of screws or studs passing through the keyhole apertures i9 into the supporting surface. These screws 2t are first inserted through the circular portion 2u of the aperture I and upon downward movement of the assemby, the screw Shanks enter the upper portion 2i of the apertures I9. Following this movement, a screw driver or other tool may be inserted through the apertures Iii to tighten each screw 26 upon that portion of the flange 22 surrounding the aperture 2 I, to secure the exchanger to the surface 25 against movement. It will be appreciated that the head of the screw or 26 is smaller in cross-sectional area than the area of the portion 2i] of the hole i 9, while being greater in diameter than the portion 2l.

The reduction in overall width of the heat exchanger I by the formation of the inturned flanges is accomplished without any lessenins Of 4 the effective heat dissipating surface area and, in fact, with an increase in its overall efficiency. Each of the flanges 22 cooperates with the plane portion of the plate YIl to define therebetween a stack passage A for the flow of air or other cooling gas in heat transfer relation to the interior surfaces of the condenser. In addition, the flange portions 22. cooperate with the supporting surface to denne therewith a stack passage B for the flow of a cooling gas in heat transfer relation with the contiguous surfaces of the` condenser.

In the installation of the heat exchanger Iii on a vertical surface 25, the vertical passages A Y and B serve as stacks for the upward flow of air induced by convection. Thus the plate, in coi operation with thesurface 25, gives a double stack eifect to thereby increase the efficiency of heat dissipation.

The attaching of the tube I2 to the plate II by means of theswaging of the plate into greater than semi-peripheral Contact with the tube is particularly adapted for employment with the structure of the present invention. If the tube were attached toY the platev by a conventional fastening means, as by welding or brazing, the fastening medium would be subjected to stress during the formation of the flange portions 22. However, no independent tube fastening vmedium is necessary for the exchangerv IG, inasmuch .as the metal 'of the plate itself is employed to attach the tube. It willalso be noted that in the final flanged exchanger, the tubes I2 are upon vthe outer surface of the plate I-I and thusv are bent about a slightly greater radius of curva-ture than the plate I I itself. In this manner, collapse or buckling of the tube is prevented.

An additional advantage is obtained by the eniployment of the plate itself, by means of the registering apertures IS and I9, to secure the exchanger to the backing surface without vthe necessity of providing additional mounting flanges, as have been employed heretofore.

It will be understood that modifications and Variations may be effected without departing from the scope of thenovel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A heat exchanger comprising: a backing plate having an elongated central web portion, outturned arcuate portions at opposite lateral margins of said central web portion, and elongated marginal flanges lextending from the outer margins of said outturned arcuate portions obliquely inwardly toward. the central weby portion and together overlying a substantial proportion of the extent of said central web portion; and a sinuoustube joined to said web portion, said arcuate portions, and said anges; said arcuate portions of said backing plate bcing adapted to receive securing means.

2.111 combination, a heat exchanger and a supporting surface therefor, said heat exchanger comprising a backing plate having an elongated central web portion, outturned arcuate portions extending from opposite lateral margins of said central web portion, and elongated marginal flanges extending from the outer margins of said arcuate portions obliquely inwardly toward said central web portion, said backing plate being secured to said supporting surface adjacent the junctures between said arcuate portions and said marginal flanges todenne with the supporting surface a coolant flow passage having opposite end walls defined by said arcuate portions and having side Walls defined by the central web portion and the supporting surface, said margin-a1 anges extending in spaced relation to said supporting surface and said centra] web portion and together traversing a substantial proportion of the extent of said coolant f loW passage between Vthe v opposite end Walls thereof, land a sinuous tube joined to said web portion, said flanges and said arcuate portions.

' BURNET J. POWELL.

References cited in the me of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date y Brown Aug. 31, 1937 Higham Feb. 13, 1940 Anderson et al, 1 Apr. 7, 1942 'Steenstrup Apr. 28, 1942 Schoen July 14, 1942 Benson Mar. 13, 1945 Achs May 11, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain June 4, 1931 Great Britain May 27, 1936 France Dec. 11, 1943 Germany Aug. 26,v 1940 

